One God, many manifestations

Sab jag Ishwar roop hai, bhalo buro nahi koyi Jaki jaisi bhavana, taiso hi phal hoyi

This couplet in Hindi means that the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation ( modified form) of God himself, hence, nothing in this creation is bad and nothing is good. This couplet further explains that whatever we feel for anybody or for anything in this world, so will be the reaction and result from it in our life.

There are two aspects/ secrets explained in the above couplet. One is the highest spiritual knowledge about the creation and the second about the behavioural aspect of creation.

The first secret about the creation explains that God ( God is referred here as the divine energy which is formless, omnipresent, omnipotent and eternal) has itself modified into various forms in the process of creation. Having taken various forms, it has got various attributes based on each form.

Whenever a substance or a thing changes its form, it also changes its qualities and attributes. It appears completely different than its original substance. For example, when the ocean water evaporates, it converts itself into water vapour and is invisible to our eyes. Though we could see it as water, we cannot see it as water vapour. Not only that, we could drink it, take bath with it, but now, after it has converted into water vapour, we cannot drink it nor we can bathe with it.

Similarly, this water vapour converts itself into cloud and thus gets a new name, form and attributes. The process goes on and on, till cloud converts into rainwater, rainwater into river and river merging back into the ocean. With every conversion a new entity takes birth, overshadowing the original entity with which it had come into existence.

One became many and many became one. This is the process of creation. As water became vapour, vapour became cloud, cloud became rain, rain became river and river merged back into the ocean, similarly that one divine being became five elements air, fire, water, earth and ether; mind, ego, senses... and the mixture of five elements further converted into various forms, like mountains, trees, atmosphere, ocean, foodgrains, animals, birds, humans, etc. Each entity has its own attributes and distinct qualities. Thus, the whole creation is nothing but the modified form of the supreme divine being and that divine being alone has become many objects. Everything in the creation is he. There is nothing other than him. When everything is he, there cannot be anything as good or bad. This is the ultimate truth in spirituality.

When we start looking at everything and everybody as manifestation of the supreme divine being, there will be no hatred, jealousy, fear or pride. There will be only love, compassion, concern and equality.

This is the vision of enlightenment and salvation. With this vision one would lead a life of a liberated soul and at the end of life it would merge with the supreme divine being.

Sadguru Rameshji is a modern age spiritual guru and founder of Poorna Ananda, a centre for spiritual evolution and joyful living. Visit www. poornaananda. org